Remembering the Dead

 

As a non-governmental human rights organization, we are deeply concerned about the deaths that have resulted from attempts to cross the border, which are often due to exposure and/or are heat related.  Since border policies were implemented in the 1990s, it is estimated that the remains of more than 6,000 men, women and children have been recovered on the U.S.-México border. These are tragedies, and we feel that such a human rights crisis needs a viable solution.

However, in order to alert our government and the public as to the true extent of these casualties, accurate numbers of deaths must be recorded.  Currently, conflicting numbers are constantly being released, mostly because of the complicated nature of recovering and identifying individuals who often carry little or no identification with them, and the many agencies this information is passed to.  We would like to attempt to keep a more accurate record of migrants who have died on the U.S.-Mexico Border.

In an effort to honor every life that has been lost on the border, Coalición de Derechos Humanos records the number of bodies that are recovered. With the cooperation of Arizona county officials, as well as the Consular offices of México, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Brazil,  and the Binational Migration Institute, we are attempting to put names to our migrant sisters and brothers, and bear witness to the deaths of those unknown, of whom there are hundreds buried in our communities.

As we attempt to comfort their families who mourn, let us also promise to seek justice, peace, and an end to the walls that separate and divide our communities. May we honor the spirits of those who have died with the commitment to peace and dignity on our borders.

Each year on the Day of the Dead we host a pilgrimage to commemorate the migrant lives lost in the desert. We want to ensure we honor the unidentified, to say the names of those who have been named, and, to not forget. We will walk with crosses, each of which represents the number of remains found in the Arizona desert and recorded by the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office. Check back in October for more information on the upcoming event. 

(Information received from the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office)

Fiscal Year

October 1st–September 30th

Total

2000-2001

136

2001-2002

163

2002-2003

205

2003-2004

234
2004-2005

282

2005-2006

205

2006-2007

237

2007-2008

183

2008-2009

206
2009-2010

253

2010-2011

183
2011-2012

179

2012-2013

183
2013-2014

122

2014-2015

137
2015-2016

144

2016-2017

147

2000-2017

3,199

Coalición de Derechos Humanos counts the number of bodies recovered in Arizona for the fiscal year, which begins October 1st and ends September 30th of every year. This will be so that we can compare the numbers put out by the government officials with those that we gather, in collaboration with the Consular offices and county medical examiners.

Past Years’ Recovered Human Remains

2016-2017

2015-2016

2014-2015

2013-2014

2012-2013

2011-2012

2010-2011

2009-2010

2008-2009

2007-2008

2006-2007

2005-2006

2004-2005

2003-2004

2002-2003

2001-2002